Obesity snuffs out less smoking benefits

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Dec. 3 (UPI) -- The good news is that fewer Americans are smoking, but the benefits of quitting tobacco will be snuffed out by U.S. adults getting fatter, researchers said.

"Obesity plays a large role in life expectancy," study co-author Allison B. Rosen of the University of Michigan said in a statement.

"Despite the fact that we are smoking less, body-mass indexes are going up. These increases in obesity are overtaking these changes in smoking behaviors."

Using a technical analysis that includes forecasting future trends based on historical data, researchers found that despite declines in smoking, the remaining life expectancy of a typical 18-year-old would be held back by 0.71 years by the year 2020 because of the increased body-mass index of the general population.

If all U.S. adults became nonsmokers of normal weight by 2020, their life expectancy would be forecast to increase by 3.76 years or 5.16 quality-adjusted years.

However, if past trends continue, 45 percent are projected to be obese by 2020.

The findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.